Montgomery County official running for lieutenant governor despite being too young to hold office

Gale also cited examples of two other elected officials who had similar delays before taking office: West Virginia Sen. Rush Holt Sr ... Gordon Denlinger of Lancaster County and Montgomery County real estate investor Jeffrey Bartos.

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Courtesy Joe Gale | Joe Gale
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Montgomery County official running for lieutenant governor despite being too young to hold office
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Tuesday January 16, 2018 12:01 AM
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Written by
Matt Carey
After two years as Montgomery County's lone Republican commissioner, Joe Gale announced Tuesday that he is mounting a bid to become Pennsylvania's next lieutenant governor.There's only one snag with Gale's candidacy: He's not old enough to legally hold the office.Gale, 28, of Lansdale said he is running because Pennsylvanians deserve "a proven conservative watchdog who can be trusted to clean out the cesspool in Harrisburg."However, the state constitution says that a person must be 30 years old to be eligible for the office of lieutenant governorOn Jan15, when the inauguration is held, Gale will be 29 years oldHe will turn 30 in March.Gale said in a statement Tuesday that he asked a team of lawyers and retired judges to investigate the issue and said that he is eligible to hold the office, provided he waits to be sworn in after his 30th birthday.Gale also cited examples of two other elected officials who had similar delays before taking office: West Virginia SenRush Holt Sr., who waited six months to take office, and Kentucky RepJohn YBrown, who waited over a year."I can tell you this," Gale said in response to a question about his eligibility"The people of Pennsylvania would rather wait two months for me to get in there and clean things up than be stuck with four more years of the same old politics as usual."Gale was elected county commissioner in 2015 despite a lack of support from the county and state Republican partyHe has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and has often compared his own political rise to that of Trump's."Among other things, Donald Trump's primary and general election victories taught us that the electorate is better at picking winners than establishment insiders," Gale said.Gale touts his votes against increases in county property taxes and an increase to the vehicle registration fee, and also highlighted his activism outside the county, pointing to his opposition to a proposal to place Planned Parenthood counselors at Reading High School last year.Gale joins three other GOP candidates for the office, including Muhlenberg School Board member Otto WVoit III, former state RepGordon Denlinger of Lancaster County and Montgomery County real estate investor Jeffrey Bartos.In addition, five Democrats have entered the race to challenge incumbent LtGov Mike Stack.Contact Matt Carey: 610-371-5038 or mcarey@readingeagle.com
Matt Carey | Tri-County reporter
Matt Carey is a Tri-County reporter for the Reading Eagle.
Phone: 610-371-5038
Email: mcarey@readingeagle.com
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